The Desert

Have you ever felt like the Lord was being silent?

Every day (well, MOST every day), I get up, open the Word and pray for God to reveal His truth. There have been days when I felt like I was going to burst. God has taught me some wonderful things during our time together. But lately, I get up, open the Word, pray for God's truth to be revealed, and yet He seems so...silent.

It's not really that I'm not learning anything, it just seems that I'm not hearing things like I want to. I haven't had one of those "WOW!" moments lately. It's almost like I'm in a desert, which seems extraordinarily dry when you've been through the rivers too.

But, to use the title of an old Margaret Becker song, I can truly say "The Hunger Stays".

No matter what kind of phase I seem to be in, there is always a hunger for the truth. I know that God is there, even when I can't necessarily feel Him. Sometimes I wonder why God allows these times. Why does He make Himself obvious at times, and then at others He just seems so far away?

I have to believe that it's for our own good. It's like a type of workout for our faith in Him, because if it were all easy, all the time, then how would our faith grow?

Trials don't always come in the form of pain and suffering. A trial can actually be like an examination--an assessment. So when God seems "silent", He really isn't. He is just as present as always, doing what is best for us by helping us build our belief and faith in Him.

During these times, it can, at times, be harder to stay awake while reading in the mornings. And it's sometimes more difficult to be motivated to get up early (unless you are nine months pregnant and you wake up a lot anyway...hee hee). But I know that He is there. I know that my time spent alone with God is invaluable. I know that there will be more rivers. And I know that He is there, even in the desert.